You’ve been patiently waiting for your tax refund to show up and instead of a refund check you receive IRS Form 5071C in the mail. This is often the first indication you will receive from the IRS that you may be the victim of identity theft. Here is what you need to know.

Each year thieves try to steal billions in Federal Withholdings by stealing your identity. As the IRS focuses more attention on this quickly growing problem, now is the time of year to be extra vigilant.